^ ON THE Hv 

^IFE AND ChARACTEI\ \p- 



^^^ Life and 



JAMES LAIRD 

April 12, 1890. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 




Cluip._„-: 81ic 

PRESENTED BY 



D BY >^ 




iEID^. cJIi^^JIBS 3iAn;RI5. 



//•• 



MEMORIAL ADDRHSSES 



LIFE AND CHARAC'lER 



JAMES LAIRD, 

A KEHRESENTATIVE KkOM N'EURASKA, 



DELIVER K.l) IN THE 



House of Representatives and in the Senate, 



FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS, FIRST SESSION. 



Compiled and edited, under lliu direction of llie 
Joint ( ommittee on Printing, by 

W. H. MICHAEL, 

Clerk ok Pkinting KiicuKus. 



WASHINCTON: 

GOVK K NM K NT TKlNTINc; OEEICE, 
1891. 









■o 



71250 



Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled, That there be printed of the 
eulogies delivered in Congi-ess upon the late James Laird, a Representa- 
tive from Nebraska, ten tliousand copies: of which two thousand five 
hundred copies shall be for the use of the Senate and seven thousand five 
hundred copies shall be for the use of the House of Representatives. 
That the Secretary of tlie Treasury be, and he is hereby, directed to have 
printed a portrait of the said James Laird to accompany said eulogies, 
and for the purpose of engraving and printing said portrait the sum of 
five hundred dollars, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby 
approi>riated out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropri- 
ated. Thai of the quota to the House of Representatives, the Public 
Printer shall set apart fifty copies, which he shaU have bound in full mo- 
rocco, with gilt edges, the same to be delivered when completed to the 
family of the deceased. 

Approved, September 39, 1890. 



DEATH AND PUNHRAL CHRBMOMHS OF HON lAMHS 

LAIRD. 



Some Incidents in His Life. 

James Laird died in lii.s own residence iji Hastings, 
NeLr., at 10:30 a. m., Saturday. August 17, 1889. The im- 
mediate cause of his death seems to liave been the result of 
a surgical operation. An autopsy was held, and the physi- 
cians' report was as follows: 

We, the undersigned, as a result of a post-mortem made upon tlie bo<ly 
of J.\MES Laird, find Iiis brain normal, heart normal, kidneys norninl, 
spleen very soft and pliable, parts of small intestines congesteil. rectuni 
abnormal and in a very unhealthy condition. We find tliat the cause 
of his death was acute septicasmia. 

Ralph. J. Irwin. 

F. J. SCHAFELBEROER. 
M. V. B. McKlNNEY. 

T. H. Urquhart. 

The examination was made in the presence of fifteen 
physicians, under the direction of Coroner Irwin. The ex- 
amining committee agreed that the septic poison was ab- 
sorbed in tjie wounds from an operation for hemorrhoids. 
This operation was performed in Omaha, Wednesday, Au- 
gust 14, three days previous to his death. 

He breathed his last, without returning to consciou-sness, 
about forty-eiglit hours after entering a comatose condition 

in 



IV Death and Funeral Ceremonies of James Laird. 

tliat presaged the fatal result. When the spirit departed 
there were gathered about the bedside C. H. Paul, wife 
and daughter, John Jacobson, Dr. VanSickle, Leopold 
Halm, Jolin Crans, and H. Lepin. Mr. Laird was not mar- 
ried, and no kinsmen were i^resent at his death, but there 
was no lask of tender, loving friends to stand solemnly and 
tearfully by as the noble soul parted from its tenement of 
clay and passed into The Beyond. 

His nearest of kin living were Mrs. Isaac Beyeu, aunt of 
the dead soldier and statesman, and William Beyeu, his 
cousin, of Gilman, 111. Both were present at the funei'al. 
Major Laird's parents and a brother, Alonzo, lie buried in 
the cemetery at Juniata, Nebr. Two brothers were killed 
in the army battling for the Union, and fell by the side of 
their beloved brother, "Jim," whose sad death removes the 
sole surviving member of the family. Some time before 
his death. Major Laird purchased a lot in Park View Cem- 
etery, at Hastings, Nebr., intending to have the bodies of 
his parents and brother removed there, and his wish will 
be carried out. Here, with the body of his pious father, 
whom he honored, the body of his devoted mother, whom 
he loved, and the body of his brother, for whom he cherished 
the tender affection of a sister, lie entombed tlie mortal re- 
mains of James Laird. 

Sketch of his Life. 

James Laird was born at Fowlerville, Livingston County, 
New York, June 30, 1849, and at an early age reoioved with 
his parents to Michigan. He enlisted as a private in Com- 
pany G, Sixteenth Michigan Volunteer Infantry, in July, 
18G1, and served with great bravery, participating in many 
a hard-fought battle, being wounded several times by mus- 



Dealli and luoural ( 'rrcmoii/rs of James Laird. v 

kct l)all and saber, and was left on the firld Un- dead at 
Gaines Mill. He won honor and distinction for liis conrage 
and braverj\ and attained tlie rauiv of brevet-major. 

At tlie close of the war he finished liis edncation, and yrad- 
natcd tVc.iii the law school of the Micliigan University. Ho 
removed to Adams County, Nebraska, in 1872. and became 
at once a central figure in tlie pioneer settlement of that time. 
His energy and ability and natural qualities of leadership 
placed him in the forefront of all movements of a public 
character. He was a member of the constitutional conven- 
tion of his State in 187.'!. 

His career as Congressman began with the Forty-eighth 
Congress, and he had just entered upon his fourth succes- 
sive term. His achievements in the national House of Rep- 
resentatives hav(> been many and notable ones, which gave 
him prominence there among the strong and influential men 
of that body. He was especially solicitous for the welfare 
of the old .soldier, for whom he labored wntli untiring zeal. 
The demands made upon him from a large and growing dis- 
trict were even too much for a naturally strong and vigorous 
nature, both physically and mentally, such as were his. He 
devoted himself assiduously to the toil imposed upon him, 
but he was unable to hold up undei- the burden and broke 
down. 

Before the campaign of 1889 was over he was completely 
prostrated upon a bed of sickness. He never recovered from 
that illness, although changes of scene and of climate were 
tried unavailingly to re.store him again to the full enjoy- 
ment of health. At times his condition was most hopeful 
and encouraging, but a relapse would follow and he would 
become despondent. He was afflicted with hemorrhoids, 
and thinking no doubt that it was partly the cause of his 
continued illness he requested an operation to be performed 



VI Death and Fiinnal Ceremonies of James Laird. 

for its radical cure. It seems to have been successfully per- 
formed, but the day after he was taken with a chill, followed 
by a high fever that the utmost medical skill could not con- 
trol. He soon went into a comatose state, in which he lay 
for about forty -eight hours, while life sl<:)wly but surely 
ebbed away. 

Tribute from his old Commander. 

Gen. Henry A. Morrow, colonel U. S. Army, and during 
the war major-general of volunteei's, said of Maj. Laird : 

" Mr. Laird was a bi-ave, generous, chivalric, truth- 
fiil, tender-hearted, brilliant man; one who never turned 
his back to a foe or deserted a friend or a cause. I knew 
Maj. Laird from his boyhood — early Ijoyhood— to the 
hour of his death. His last services as a soldier wereimder 
my command. Indeed, he was my ordnance officer when I 
commanded a provisional division in the Army of the Ten- 
nessee, in the summer of 1805. I knew him well — as well 
as one man can know another — and I am quite prepared, 
on my responsibility as an officer and a man, to say that I 
have met few men in my not short nor uneventful life who 
made a deeper impression on my mind and imagination 
than did James Laird. I have said he was a brave man. 
That was attested in many a hard-fought battle, for he was 
in many of the great battles of the Army of the Potomac. 
But his courage — a quality common to all Americans — was 
almost the least conspicuous of his virtues. He was a man 
of deep sensibilities, of sterling integrity, of unflinching 
devotion to his friends, of great tenacity of purpose, of 
iinswerving adherence to isrinciples, of great acuteness of 
thought, of rich command of language, of a wide range of 
ideas on a great variety of subjects, of a luminous and deli- 



Dentil and I-'uiural Ccrcmotiics of Javics Laird. \\\ 

(•ate judgment, and of iiii7nital)le grace and tact of conver- 
sation, fairly bristling with luippy anecdotes and the bright- 
est and gentlest humor. What his life had been as a soldier 
was his life as a legislator — free frmn all taint or suspicion 
of venality m cowardice. His oratory was brilliant, stir- 
ring, suggestive. I have heard an eminent Nebraska judge 
(Judge Hamer) say that Mr. Laird's addresses to juries 
were impassioned, kindling, convincing. At tlieend of on(« 
of his jury efforts, jurors saw no way of escape except to 
render a verdict in favor of the elocjuent advocate. 

" My recollections of our friend are all of the most pleas- 
ant character. He dwells in my minndi-y as a man fairly 
radiant with health, bright with the glow of intelligence, 
beaming with humor, brimfull of generous impulses. Maj. 
Laird served his constituents with fidelity and ability. It 
is not creditable to the inhabitants of the Second Con- 
gressional district that no public action has been taken to 
rear a suitable monument t(j his memory and that no public 
exercises have been held to pay tributes to the many excel- 
lent qualities of heart and head that made James Laird, 
while living, an honest, useful public citizen, an eloquent 
and influential Congressman, an interesting social com- 
panion, and a true and incorrui^tible friend. He was the 
Chevalier Bayard of the bar of Nebraska." 



Some Incidents in His Life. 

Mr. Tate, who i^reached the funeral sermon of Maj. Laird, 
called on the latter a few weeks before liis death, in the 
hoj)e of being able to say something that would cheer him 
M|). Soon after entering the room Maj. Laird said: 

"Tate, what can 1 do for you?" Tiic answer was, "Get 



VIII Dcatli and Fitncral Cercuiouies of James Laird. 

we'll, Jim." Laird said: '• I will do anything for you; what 
do you want?" Tate said: " I want you to get well," and 
left the room. Laird was so well i:)leased with this that he 
laughingly said: "When I die I want Tate to preach my 
funeral. He won't tell any lies about me.*' 

******* 
Mr. Tate and Maj. Laird were to speak at a place in miles 
from Hastings; they missed the road and wandered around 
for three hours. The people in the country schoolhouse, 
after waiting half an hour, were going home, but an old 
widow who sat near the door said : ' ' Don't go ; he will come. " 
So they waited a while longer and were going to start again; 
The old lady again said more emphatically, " Stay; he will 
come."' Whenever they would talk of starting the widow 
would repeat, "He will come." Laird finally did come, 
made his speech, and being told that they would all have 
been at home only the lady, naming her, kept saying "He 
will come." Laird went to her and asked; " How did you 
know I would come?" She answered: "Years ago my hiis- 
band died; left me with three little children. Because I was 
poor I was left to freeze and starve. You, sir, sent me coal 
to keep us warm and flour to eat. ' When the pension agent 
could not get my pension because there was a break in the 
proof (the mortgage would soon take the farm) I did not 
know what to do. I wrote to you about it. Instead of an- 
swering my letter you introduced a bill in Congress, passed 
it, followed it until signed by the President; then you wrote 
me I would get S],800 inside of sixty days. I got it. You 
said you would come, so I knew you would." 

* * * * * 



Dcalli and FiDicral Ccroinniics of James Laird. IX 

FROM AN ADDRESS BY E. F. CHITTENDEN, DELIVERED AT THE STATE 
REUNION OF THE G. A. R., HELD AT GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA. 

Ml'. Laird's personal lieroisin as a soldier was early and 
severely tested in battle, being himself five times wounded 
and onre a prisoner, and in having his two elder brothers 
killed in action beside him. Few . indn-d. wri'i- tiie \'olun- 
teers who, like himself, fouglit their way uj)from the ranks 
to the position of major before reaching the agi* of seven- 
teen ; and those who knew him best will readily nnderstand 
that he did his whole duty as a soldier, as he did in iattn- 
years as a citizen, and that each step in his deserved jiromo- 
tion was heroically earned. 

However, what I consider to have been his greatest vir- 
tue was the filial affection he ever manifested toward his 
widowed mother. Tlie best rooms and apartments of his 
home, and the best of everijilniKj which money could pni- 
cure, he considered scarcely good enough for her. No won- 
der, then, that she idolized Jmn, and thought there was no 
one iu all the wide world like " my Jamie." All other hon- 
ors and excellencies, sink into insignificance compared with 
this, and will perish and be forgotten, possibly, while this 
crowning virtue will endure forevei-. All honor to his mem- 
ory for thus honoring his aged widowed mother while she 
lived. 

EXTRACT FROM MR. LAIRD'S EULOGY UPON GEN. GRANT AT G. A. R. 
REUNION, FREMONT, SEPTEMBER, ISS.';), 

I can not close without a word for our great comrade, who 
was made known to us througli the companionship of suffer- 
ing and danger. It was a mighty part that this dead gen- 
eral bore in the daily life of the world. He held his sword 
in trust for the good of all mankind. By the grace of deeds 



X Death and Fimcral Ccronoiiies of James Laird. 

done he is mightier than C»sar, greater tliau Na])oleon. Con- 
quest guided the conquering feet of the iirst Roman. The 
bloody dream of glory and the bauble of kingly power edged 
the great Frenchman's sword. Our hero, our comrade, of 
all the foremost of the earth, is first to forego conquest, to 
forget glory, conquering only in the name of freedom, and 
that for all mankind : shedding human blood only in the 
name of the Union, and that of all these States. Not unlike 
all the great warriors of civilizatioii, he is still, in our affec- 
tionate judgment, incomparably greater than any other in 
that he was so great as to be unconscious of his greatness. 
Modest as David, mighty as Saul, how eloquently the great 
words of the Lamentations apply to liim : "He was stronger 
than a lion ; he was swifter than an eagle ; from the blood 
of the slain he turned not back, and from the fat of the mighty 
his sword returned not emjity."" 

Glorious as was his war record, his after life was not less 
luminous. Faith, hope, charity: " and the greatest of these 
is charity." All these he had. and this charity, that is the 
greatest of virtues, earthly or divine, how greatly was it his — 
forgiving his adversary upon the very field of battle, bid- 
ding them to take home their swoi-ds and '"beat them into 
plowshares." After the strife, so slow to smite, so swift to 
spare, so great, so merciful, so just! 



FUNERAL CEREMONIES. 

The funeral procession formed at Second street, in front of 
Mr. Laird's late residence, and moved to the Presbyterian 
churc'li ill the following order: 

Hastings Cadet Band, Juniata. 

James A. Garfield Post, No. 80, of Red Cloud. 

Geai'V Post, No. SI, of Juniata. 



Dcat)i and Fiiinral Ccrinioitics of James Laird. xi 

Strong Post, No. 91, of Miiulcn. 

Geo. O. Oliver Post, No. 43, of Fairfield. 

A. J. Sinitli Po.st, No. 6.5, of Doniiilian. 

FlowiT committee at grave, ecuisistiiigof T. F. I'carl. A. 11. lirown. and 

K. Manclifster. 

Silas A. Strieklaiid Po.st.of llastiiifcs. 

- Post-office employes of Hastings jx)st-office. 

Hon. Geo. W. E. Dor.sey and ex-Govenior Dawes. 

Carriage containing Governor Tliayer, Secretary of Stale Laws, and l)r. 

Stone, superintendent of Hastings Asylum. 
Wagonette containing the following gentlemen from Lincoln: T. 11. Ben- 
ton, Auditor: J. E. Hill, State Treasurer: Wm. Leese. Attorney- 
General: Geo. B. Lane, Superintendent Public Instruc- 
tion: John Steen, Comrai.ssioner P. L. and B. : C. 
IL Gere, E. P. Roggen. B. R. Cowdry, 
S. J. Alexander, R. O. PhiUips, 

L. D. Richards, Fremont. 

Adams County Bar a.ssociation. 

Wagonette containing pall bearei-s composed of Grand .^rmy comrades. 

Hearse drawn l)y four black horses and attended by ten colored pall 

bearers, as follows: A. J. Smith, Jas. Burton, Wm. Purrell, Win. 

Wade, Henry Mosby. John Craig. John Francis, Ed. Early, 

R. S. Fo.ster, and Peter Johnson. 

Carriages containing relatives and friends. 

AT THE CHURCH. 

The interior of tlio large Presbyterian churcli was most 
elaborately dressed in badges of mourning. Along the 
railing of the gallery on the south side, red, white, and blue 
bunting, with drapery and streamers of black, were placed. 

The puljjit was decorated with flowers and plants. To 
the right of the pulpit was a magnificent cross about 7 feet 
in height, covered with jflants and blooming flowers. A 
flag on either side draped with mourning hting above the 
pulpit, and higher than all and above the organ in a large oval 
the letters "J. L.," covered with evergreen and dahlia 1)1()S- 



XII Death and Funeral Ceremonies of James Laird. 

soms. It was 1:30 o'clock when the procession entered the 
churcli. The casket when ph^ced in front of tlie pulpit was 
covered with floral oflferings, one a striking and Ijeautif ul 
design representing "gates ajar." In the front row sat 
Mrs. Beyeu, aunt, and William Beyeu. cousin of deceased; 
C. H. Paul, wife, and two children, and John Jac«bson. In 
the next row were Governor Thayer, Secretary of State 
Laws, Treasurer Hill. Auditor Benton. Attorney-General 
Leese, Congressmen Dorsey and Connell. 

The people flocked into the spacious auditorium and filled 
every nook and corner of the floor and gallery, while the 
great organ mournfully toned a funeral service. 

Rev. J. G. Tate occupied the pulpit, and occupying seats 
on the platform were Kevs. Crissman, Britt, Walters, Mau- 
pin, Fitch, and English. In the interim of waiting for the 
audience to get seated, Governor Thayer was called to the 
platform and took a seat next to Rev. Tate. 

Services opened by the choir singing "Rock of Ages." 
It was well rendered by the following voices : Mrs. Camp- 
bell, soprano; Mrs. Rees, alto; Will Jones, base; T. L. Bur- 
ger, tenor. 

Rev. Maupin read a scripture lesson (I Cor., chap, xv), 
after which Rev. Britt delivered a most fervent prayer, in 
which he said that this great, generous, and loving heart is 
still; his voice will no longer be heard in defense of the weak 
and for the right. He referred most impressively to the 
soldier record and public career of the dead, and his pathetic 
utterances and words of consolation filled many eyes with 
tears. 

The choir then sang "Passing Away," by L. O. Emerson. 
Its sentiment and its melody was most appropriate to the 
solemnity of the hour. 
Rev. Geo. T. Crissman presided over the meeting and 



Death and I'loural Ceretnonies of James Laird. x i ii 

introduced the speaker. Rev. J. G. Tate, chaplain of the 
State Senate, who delivered the following address: 

The faithful f;iil from among the children of men. — Psalms, xii, 1. 

When we are startled by any sudden or unexpected event, 
a temporary excitement is produced which unfits us for 
sound and impartial investigation or mature judgment as 
to the cause; and it is not until calm is restored tliat we 
intelligently inquire as to tlie why and wherefore thereof. 

It is so in the case before us. So sudden, so unexpected 
was the smiting, so startled and alarmed were Laird's 
friends when news of his sudden and probably fatal sick- 
ness was announced, that questioning and judgment were 
lost in mystery and grief. 

This sad providence has lessons to teach. I should be 
faithless to my trust if I failed to endeavor to point them 
out. Among the lessons taught is this: 

I. To expect the unexpected. 

Of all men in this Congressional district, or indeed in this 
State, we looked for any to die rather than Laird. 

Why? Because we had associated him with public affairs 
;ind personal friendsliips until these had shut out tlie grim 
visage of death. Things which we saw hid from view the 
unseen but no less real things of eternity. A splendid phy- 
sique, robust health, and unceasing labor did not and could 
not suggest the near approach of death. The brightness of 
the sun's shining at noonday is not suggestive of coming 
night and darkness, and yet the darkness and the night are 
surely approaching. So the meridian s])len(lor of this brigiit 
and shining life could not suggest the near approach of the 
night of death, 

IL That the pet theory of modern science is not true in 
actual life, viz, "The survival of the fittest," We are told 



XIV Death and Funeral CcrcDiiuiics of Janus f.aird. 

that a l:iw in natiiru has been (li.scuvered, tlio oporation uf 
wliich will eventually destroy all the inferior grades in 
every form of life and leave only those physically, mentally, 
and morally superior. This idea is not without some show 
of trutli. One of its foundation stones is the law of subsist- 
ence. From the lowest order of insect life, through every 
grade of existence up to man, we see the superior preying 
upon and destroying the inferior, maintaining life by feed- 
ing upon other lives. Another is the desire in every human 
breast for supremacy and power. A careful observation of 
the results of the operation of these principles will show 
that the fittest do not always survive. 

The conflict among animal life has been waged since 
animal life existed, but vict(jry has always been with the 
human. Progress has always been with the human. In 
the animal kingdom there has been no upward tendency, 
save as the result of human training. No force in nature 
has been made subservient to tlieir interests, or subject 
to their use and control. This superiority in man is not 
acquired, but inherent. He was born to kingship; the 
image of God indelibly stamped upon him is the seal of 
his sovereignty among all things earthly. Nor does the de- 
sire for supremacy among men prove the theory to be true. 
In this struggle, the base and unprincipled, the shrewd and 
designing, often reach positions of honor and trust, and 
live long and prosperous lives, while the truly great and 
really good are often defeated or die. I admit this is but a 
human conflict over which the Almighty exercises no arbi- 
trary control. 

But the operation of divine law does not differ. Death is 
a power beyond human control and yet the same results can 
be seen. Intelligence, morality, and religion are not pass- 
ports to long life, nor to earthly hont)r and fame. If the 



Death iDui I'ltiicral Ccrciiioiiirs of James /.and. x\' 

"survival of tin' liltcst" was (ruo in fact, then tlio Second 
Cuiigressiouarl distiicf. woiiiil not- l)o without a rcprcwcmta- 
tive, and this service would not be needed. Our hi-othor 
wouhl be living — living to fill out the measure of a brilliant 
and useful life. 

III. It teaches the truth of a mature life and a final ad- 
judication and ju.st arrangement of human events and lives. 
Mysterious shadows tiit across each scene in the drama of 
human existence, and in the twilight of reason, and the 
darkness of skepticism the shadows deejien but in the light 
of ''immortality" and the Gospel the shadows lift and the 
inexplicable becomes as clear as the noonday. The Gospel 
of Christ is to us as is the sun to the earth. Noonday is 
past; watch the shadows as the sun recedes; they follow, 
they deepen; and when the sun g(jes down, darkness envel- 
ojies all things. So shadows of human history and events 
lengthen and deepen in proportion to the light of revelation 
that shines upon them, and they Ijecome total darkness when 
the light is blotted out. Let us look. at Mr. Laird's death 
in the light of reason and of revelation and see what it will 
teach. 

Reason: If reason li;id ruled, he had not died. Reason 
could not have indorsed sncli an event. The liglit of reason 
enters not the regions that stretch away beyond the tomb. 
It deals only with the now. Of the future it can only guess. 
Knowing nothing of the future — reaching not into the be- 
yond, it could not give indorsement to the smiting of strong 
and vigorous manhood with the paralysis of death. Heavy 
are the shadows and gloomy the light which reason sheds 
on this sad event. Let us try the light of Divine truth. In 
this liglit the casket still I'cmains. Friends bend beuca.tii 
the heavy burden of bitter bereavement. Our eyes are tear 
filled, and our lips quiver as we speak our last " good bye." 



XVI Death and Funeral Cercntonics nf James Laird. 

The grave awaits the form we love, and our friend goes 
from us. So far the shadows still abide; but hark!— in the 
stillness of this funeral hour, in this quiet, hallowed hush 
I hear a voice speaking strange and wondrous things: " Thy 
brother shall rise again." At the sound of that voice the 
shadows flee away and the soul is filled with a holy and 
glorious light. That voice is the voice of Jesus, and the 
light is the light of immortality. No voice but the voice of 
Jesus and no light but the light of Gospel can relieve the 
loneliness and solve the mystery of the dark valley. There 
is one word in our text which exactly expresses our idea of 
the departed: "faithful." 

His was a rugged nature, so rugged that it could not be 
taken in at a glance; like mountain peaks, that stretch away 
until they lift their heads into the clouds and hide the fer- 
tile valleys between. Between the rugged peaks of his 
majestic nature there were rich and fertile valleys, seen 
only by those who were close to him. A superficial observer 
could note the grandeur but not the quality of his charac- 
ter. I would offer no fulsome praise, no words of mere flat- 
tery in tins dead presence. Faults he had, failings and 
weaknesses marked his conduct in life. Do they not mark 
ours? Let him that is without fault cast the first stone. 
Lay them on his grave. They tell that he was human, but 
are an everlasting monument to the hypocrisy of those who 
cast them. No judgment of a life is just that does not con- 
sider all the elements that have made up that life. 

To study a detached element in a character, and found 
our judgment upon the man therefrom, is very wrong. 
There has been but one perfect man, Christ. Studied in 
parts or as a whole, his life is perfect. Not so is it with us. 
All are marked, more or less, with evil and failui'es. 

There is nothing like political contest to try a man's heart 



Dealli aii,i J-iiik ral Circiiionits v/ J cuius I.aini. x\ii 

and cli.-U'actcr. Twice liavt> I canvassi'd fliis district witli 
luiii. 1 lia\-i' licen (dose to ins motives, near to his heart; 
his secrets I liave heard, and now in this suhMnii lioni- 1 pivj- 
claim my friend a "faitiirnl"' man, faithful to his friends 
and to Ids foes. He escliewed all petty meanness; he fear- 
lessly announce(l his principles, and calmly awaited the 
results. He was a faithful friend. A tiaie friend is above 
price: he can not be valued. P^very element of true friend- 
ship was united in Mr. Laird. 

He was a faithful servant of his constituents. No task too 
arduous: no woi-k so trivial but that it commanded liis earnest 
and prompt attention. This fidelity as friend and servant 
won many hearts to him. The soldiers and the homestead- 
ers of western Nebraska loved him; he was their true friend. 
He has gone from us; we may not see his face again on earth: 
his voice will no more be heard in the halls of our National 
Congress. We shall miss him as few men would be missed, 
and we shall sincerely mourn his loss. He has crossed the 
valley; he has forded the river: he is with his God. 

SERVICES AT THE GRAVE. 

It was after -1 o'clock when all had taken advantage of 
the 0|)iK)rtunity to view for the last time the face of the 
dead friend and comrade: and the procession, re-forming in 
the same order as at the house, moved from the church to 
Second street, east on Second to St. Joe aveinie, north on 
St. Joe to Seventh street, and thence to the cemetery. A 
hundred carriages or more took the moi-c direct route to tlie 
cemetery; and wlien the cortege ari'ived theie were two 
lines of vehicles extending from the cemetery almost to the 
colleges. The services at the grave were conducted by Silas 
A. Strickland Post of the Grand Army of the Republic, an<l 
the beautiful service of that oi'der for dead comrades 
H. Alis. tm II 



XVIII Dia/Ii a//:/ I'liiural Ccrcuioiiics of James f.aird. 

was gone tliroiigii without a liitcli and in a most solemn 
and imjiressive manner. After the ritualisti(3 service had 
been completed the Juniata company of militia fired three 
salutes over the grave, after which a liugler. taking Ins 
position at the head of the grave, sounded taps, and the 
large multitude of sorrowing friends reluctantly turned 
their faces toward the city and left the dead soldier and 
statesman to his last and undisturbed sleep. 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE OE REPRESI-NTATIVES. 



ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH. 



December IS, ISSO. 

Mr. DoRSEY. Mr. Speaker, it is my painful duty to an- 
nounce to the House the death of my hite colleague, Hon. 
James Laird, represeutiug the Second district of Nebraska. 
I ask the reading of the resolutions which I now send to 
the desk, but will not ask immediate action upon them, as 
other gentlemen desii'e to present similar resolutions. 

The Clerk read as follows: 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives has heard with iirofmiiiii 
sorrow of the deatli of Hon. James Laird, hite member of this House 
from the Second district of Nebraska. 

Resolved, That the Clerk be directed to notify tlie relatives of Hon. 
James Laird of the jiassage of this resohition. Also, that the Clerk te 
directed to send a co])y of tliis resohition to tlie Senate. 

Resolved, Tliat as a further mark of respect tlie House do now adjourn. 

3 



Address o/ Mi . Lmcs, of Nebraska, on tJie 



EULOGIES. 



April 13, 1890. 
Mr. Laws. Mr. Speaker, I nffc^r the following resohxtions: 

Resolivd, That the bushiess of tlie House be now susjiendecl, tliat an 
opiiortunity may be given for tributes to the memory of James Laikd. 
late a Representative from the State of Nebraska. 

Resolved, That, as a further mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased, at the conclusion of these ceremonies the House shall stand 
adjourned. 

Resolved, That the Clerk communicate these resolutions to the Senate. 



Address of Mr. Laws, of Nebraska. 

Mr. Speaker: Iu asking this House to suspend for a time 
its usual and appropriate labors, to pay tribute of respect 
to the memory of a friend, late a member of this body, it 
is proper that some acknowledgment of this mark of esteem 
sh(_>uld be extended to this House and Uj those so kindly 
ccmtributing by their presence and their words to the dignity 
and solemnity of this occasion. 

The highest honor man can confer upon his fellow-man is 
the privilege of making laws for tlieir common government; 
and when that jirivilege has been so used, and the consequent 
duty discharged with sxich fidelity as to meet the repeated 
approval of those conferring that high trust, it would seem 



Life and Character of Janus Laird. 5 

that the reasonable expectation of friends and a laudahle 
anil)ition had been fully met, and that such a life, no matter 
when terminated, had been in an eminent degree honoi'ed 
and successful. But death comes to most men at an unex- 
pected inoment, and very often, to our weak judgment, at an 
uiil"i)rtmiate and inappropriate time, and while our lips are 
taught reverently to say "Thy will bo done," our hearts 
reljel in silent anguish and our souls refuse to be comforted 
by the most ardent faith in the sweetest promises of the life 
to come. 

J.\MEs Laird, late a member of the Fifty-first Congress, 
died at his home in Hastings, Nebr., August 17, 1889, aged 
forty years. He was born at Fowlerville, N. Y., Jime 20, 
1849; removed with his ])areuts to Michigan, where ho was 
educated at Adrian College and Michigan University, grad- 
uating from the law school of the latter in 1871. He enlisted 
in tile Union Army at the age of thirteen, and served until 
the close of the war. He was five times wounded, and pro- 
moted to the rank of major before reaching the age of sev- 
enteen. Always jjmminent in State afFair.s, he bore a con- 
spicuous part in forming the present constitution of his 
adopted State, whence he was three times elected a member 
of Congress, and by increasing majorities at each succeed- 
ing election, doubly attesting the fact that his official life 
was approved by his constituents. 

Endowed with a profusion of nature's choicest gifts — a 
vigorous and comprehensive intellect, a lively and well- 
sustained imagination, wit, humor, eloquence, courage, and 
tender sentiment, a fine physique, health, strength, and 
manly bearing — he ought to have lived to a round old age, 
and should have becsn gathered as the shock fully rijiened 
foi' the harvest. But he was taken at the noontime, when 
the shadows fell nearest the jjathway; when life was most 



6 Address of Air. Laivs, of iVcbraska^ on the 

desirable and life's work most useful; when the summons to 
one of the youngest and strongest of their fellows was a sur- 
prise and a sorrow to his friends and to his colleagues upon 
this floor. 

No extended delineation of his character will be attempted 
by me. Standing in this presence, to say that he had no 
faults would be to claim for him that he was not human, 
and would be as offensive to him living as untruthful of him 
dead. He despised shams and pretenses in all their forms. 
What he seemed he was, what he thought he said, what he 
felt was right he did. He sought the foe in the open field, 
refused ambush, and practiced no disguise. To achieve suc- 
cess or promote a personal end he never compromised with 
an enemy and never betrayed a friend. He feared no man 
nor hated one. He believed in God and loved his fellow-man. 
Tlie generosity of his nature was as boundless as the prairies 
of his home, where the sun sets as on the sea. 

In the softer charities of human weal, in the relation of 
husband and father, he never lived. Two brothers fell 
fighting by his side on the battlefield, and another was 
killed by accident on the Western plains. An aged father, 
then a widowed mother left him, some years ago, the sole 
surviving member of his family, "to walk the path of life 
alone."' 

As a citizen, James Laird was public-spirited, progress- 
ive, liberal, and wise. As a lawyer, he was able, earnest, 
industrious, and faithful to the interests of those he 
served. 

As a soldier, he was ever found at the post of duty, dis- 
playing the highest form of moral courage, seeing and know- 
ing a danger, yet daring to meet it. Bold, dashing, and 
impetuous, he was a born leader of men, inspiring confidence 
by the exhibition of his own courage, commanding obedience 



Life and C liaractcr of James Laird. 7 

by his strong mill unyielding will, .iml winning lulniii-ation 
by the qiiickness and cdrroctness of his judgment. 

Like every true soldier, the flag of his country was ever 
the object of his vencu'ation. To him that flag was not sim- 
ply a few yards of trii'ohjred bunting, but a symbol of 
majesty and ])()wer. It was the emblem of his country, her 
greatness, her beneficence, and lier pcnver, her people, her in- 
stitutions, and her laws, with every rod of territory, wherever 
might be seen or fell the print nf human foot, the touch of 
human hand, or the beat of liuman heart, sacredly dedicated 
to liberty, justice, and right. 

But, Mr. Speakei-, the fires of passion that burned un- 
ceasingly in his being are quenched. The currents of the 
rich red blood of healtli tliat coursecl through his veins arc; 
choked at the foimtain. The warm glow of physical health 
that literally flowed off his finger-ends is chilled. And dur- 
ing the long weary months of pain and sickness, when 
strength failed; when the strong will was bowed and broken; 
when the bright and powerful intellect was clouded; when, 
burdened with the weight of public cares and duties undis- 
charged for want of health, worn and worrieil because of 
promises yet Tinfulfilled and useful work yet uncomjjleted, 
friends, in kindness all, could not be made to feel that he 
whose strong right arm had turned aside the blow not aimed 
at self, that he who oft had met the storm of battle iindis- 
mayed, indeed was faint and weak. Under such a strain 
endurance ceased, the mind was turned, the heart was grieved, 
and in solitude he .sought relief. He closed his door for rest 
and peace, and thus to him came death. 

Of him I say what I believe: 

He kept .a faitlifiil l'ririiilslii|i with his friends, 

Whom loyally he served bcfori; himself. 

He locked his lips too dose to tell ;i lie. 

He washed his hands tuo whiti- to touch a bribe. 



Address of Mr. Conger.^ of Iowa., on (he 



Address of Mr. Conger, of Iowa. 

Mr. Speaker: Jame.s Laird has gone from our midst 
forever. 

At the somid of your gavel tlie wliirl and bu.stle and noise 
of this Hall lias ceased, and we his brothers pay feeling 
tribute to his memory. 

To the woi'ld such ceremonies as these may seem only 
formal and perfunctory. But to us they are the earnest 
tributes of devoted friends, duties saddened by painful loss, 
and yet hallowed by delightful memories. 

The friendships and associations formed here are akin to 
those of school-boy days; but are strengthened and broad- 
ened by the weight of great public trusts and the highest 
public duties. 

When a trusted link snaps and drops out of the chain thus 
forged, the loss is severe and felt by all. James Laird was 
one of the strong men of this House. 

I knew him only as a Representative in Congress, and 
shall speak of liim only as such, leaving to others more 
familiar with it to tell the story of his earlier life. 

Our acquaintance began with the Forty-ninth Congress. 
Upon my arrival here I found liini just entering upon his 
second term, though already filling the jjlace and taking the 
rank of an older member. 

I became intimately associated with him on committee 
and other service, and learned to know, respect, and trust 
him. He was j'oung in years, yet old in equipment and 
exj^erience. 

He was a man of .superb physical development, a jDerfect 
athlete. Intellectually he was a giant; his mind was as 



Life and Cliaractcr of James Laird. 9 

strong and as activi; as liis inusclc. He thought rapidly and 
exhaustively. He came to his coiu-lusions (|uifkly, Imt 
came to stay. 

He was a man of strong convictions, and fought for them 
courageously and relentlessly. His oratorj"- was brilliant; 
he was fiery in del)ate, struck liard. Init always fair, and 
many of us will rcTnember him lor his keen thrusts and 
stunning blows, but we will always honor him for the ear- 
nest, honest, manly* way in which they were given. 

He was fearless as a limi, and having once determined Ids 
duty, no power could turn him from it. A most notable ex- 
hibition of this trait was his conduct in the famous Fitz John 
Porter case. Upon his first arrival here he found his old 
commanding general again on trial. Hi' immediately rushed 
to his defense, as when a boy of only thirteen he rushed to 
the defense of his country and its flag. It mattered little to 
him what older members thought or advised: he believed a 
gi'eat wrong had lieen done his old commander, and he de- 
termined to do whatever was in Ins jiower to riglit tliat wn nig. 

The position which he took, the vote he was abcnit to cast, 
was not popular among his colleagues or constituents. In 
fact, he was vigorously pressed by them to take the other 
side, and threats of jiolitical retribution were made if lie did 
not do it. He, however, was unmoved, and stood firm as a 
rock, and I can pay no higher tribute to this sjjlendid trait 
of his character than to quote his own words on this occa- 
sion. 

After saying that he should vote '" first, last, and all the 
time" for the relief of General Porter, he went on: 

And let me remark to the gentlemen who seek to bring the minace of 
future ])vinishnient to hear upon the discliarge of present duty, that if I 
knew tliis act of mine wouhl end my bodily existenee. as you say it may 
end my official one, tlien still would I do it; and I would thank God that my 
Idvaltv til mv countrv, as I understand her lionor : th.it inv lovuUy lo my 



10 Address of Mr. Cutchcon^ of Michigan, oil the 

general, as I uinlerstand my duty: tliat my loyalty to the truth, as I know 
it to be. was strong enough to lift my conduct above the possibility of the 
ignt)minious charge to come from cowardly considerations affecting my 
life or future condition. 

Such courage and such devotion are worthy eniuhition. He 
hived his friends, and was beloved by them in return. He 
was not jDerf ect ; none are jjerf ect in tliis world ; and yet lus vir- 
tues so outweighed and outshone his faults, that liis friends 
admired him, his State honored him, and his country was 
devotedly served Ijy him. Now he is dead. Peace to his 
ashes ! But what is death ? That which endeth all ? No. 
"Death is nothing but the middle point between two lives — 
between this and .another." And I have learned to believe 
that the other is so inucli better, so much brighter in hope, 
grander in possibility, and more splendid in realities, that it 
matters little when we pass the middle point. 

We should not too darkly nor deejjly mourn the passage 
of our friends to the other side, but heroically smothering 
the grief for our mortal loss, rejoice over their mortal gain; 
and learning the best possible lessons from their lives, make 
surest preparation for fit companionship with them when 
shall come our time to tread — 

The great world's altar stairs, 
That slope through darkness up to God. 



Address of Mr, Cutcheon, of Michigan. 

Mr. Speaker: I shall not on this occasion indulge in any 
extensive or elaborate eulogy of oiir deceased colleague. 
When I first entered this Hall as a member of this House 
in December, 1883, one of the first members to meet me 
and to greet me was our deceased friend and colleague 
James Laird, of Nebraska. Our previous acquaintance 



Life and C liaraclcr of James Laini. 1 1 

hail been iioniinal mily. 'I'ln- interest which I took in 
him ami whicii he took in me ha<l been vieurious rather 
tliaii personal. 

When, as a yoiuif^ man, in ISo'.i, 1 left the lialls of "my 
alnid mater, the Univei-sity of Michigan, and became jirin- 
cipal of a small ac-ailemy in soiitliern Micliiu'an. i foLiiid 
there two young men by the name of Laird; and before the 
close of the term there came with them to attend the closing 
exercises a lad, as small almost as the smallest of these pages, 
who I afterwards found was their brother. I lost sight of 
him then, and never to my knowledge met him again pei-- 
sonally until he came to me in this Chamber and introduced 
himself as that same lad. James Laird. In the mean time 
the two lirothers who had lieen under my instruction botli 
died in the cause of the Union as soldiers in the Army. This 
trifling circumstance of our first meeting was the slender 
thread that first bound us; but when we found ourselves a 
few weeks later in adjacent seats at the same committee 
table, where we served together continuously side by .side 
for six years, through three Congresses, this beginning of an 
acquaintanceshiji ripened into a friendship wdiich lasted as 
long as life enduied. 

On the very first occasion in whicli I participated in debate 
upon this floor I found my colleague and myself ujKni oppo- 
site sides of the question. I discovered on that occasion tlie 
quality of his steel. It was that debate, now historical, in 
regard to the restoration to the Array of General Fitz John 
Porter. Mr. Laird had left his home when a mere boy (I 
think about thirteen years of age), had enlisted in the Six- 
teenth Michigan Infantry, had gone to the front, and Ijecame 
one of the famous Fifth Army Corps, which was then un- 
der the command of General Porter. So when he found his 
old chieftain attacked here, with all the enthusiasm of his 



12 Address of Mj-. Oitclicon^ of MicJiigan, on the 

boyish admiration and love, and with all the vigor and 
strength of his manhood, he came to his defense. 

Althongli we differed jjrofoundly in our judgment as to 
the merits of that case, I never ceased to admire and respect 
the chivalry, the earnestness, and the enthusiasm Avith 
which he entered into his view of it. This was character- 
istic of the man. Wlienever he participated in debate his 
methods were earnest, direct, and eloquent. There was in 
his voice the sound of tlie ring of the saber; there was in his 
utterances the rattle of small arms in battle. In the com- 
mittee-room we found him always attentive to his diities, 
always faithful to each trust reposed in him, laborious and 
careful in the examination of his facts; but when his mind 
was made ujj, earnest and i^ertinacious in the defense of that 
which he believed to be right. His career in this body was 
marked by these characteristics of manly boldness, of direct- 
ness, of unquestioned ability; by zeal in tlie support or de- 
fense of whatever measures seemed to merit his support or 
his defense. 

When we first met here I suppose that if we had been 
called upon to .select the one of iis all who was apparently 
marked by a vigorous constitution and by apparent I'ol )ust 
health for long life and continued usefulness, no one would 
have been more unanimously selected than Mr. Laird. 
This perfect soundness of health was first invaded by an 
accident he met with in this city during his second term in 
Congress, which confined him for a long jseriod, and later 
disease fastened upon him. I sliall never forget how on the 
day after his last election as a member of this body, the 
morning after the November election of 1888, I received a 
telegram from Mr. Laird from his home in Nebraska, telling 
me that he was nervously prostrated and terribly afflicted 
with insomnia, and asking if I could make any suggestions 



Life and Character of James Laird. 13 

for his relief. T gave liim such counsel as I c-tnild. He did 
uot take his seat as a member of this body after the election 
in the second session of the Fiftieth Congress, but went at 
once, I believe, to Hot Springs, in Arkansas, whence he 
came to this city for tlie piu-pose of taking his seat, but with 
health too enfeebled to permit him to do so. 

We never met him again in this Chamber, and now his 
personality is but a memory — a personality marked, indeed, 
in its characteristics, strong in its patriotism, vigorous in 
its sense of right and justice. Mr. Speaker, in the fullness 
of jiowers he has gone the way of all the earth. He has 
but ]ireceded you and me l)y the span of a few years, mayb(? 
a few months, possibly a few days. It is not of so mu<']i 
consequence, Mr. Speaker, when we shall go as it is how we 
shall go. It is not the future that we should stand in fear 
of so mvich as the present. Character is destiny. Eacli 
day comes to us the monition that life's work is rapidly 
passing beyond oxir grasp, and that the work we have to do 
must be done speedily. 

Almost hourly, while we unite in these eulogies, we await 
the intelligence that one of the oldest, most honored, and 
most useful members that ever sat in this Chamber has left 
the haunts of living men for the place of the departed. 
Already during this session two of the oldest in service and 
most respected members of this body, the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania, Mr. Kelley, and the gentleman fronr New 
York, Mr. Cox, have taken their places in the great Ameri- 
can Pantheon. 

So one after another we shall each take oiir departure, and 
these halls and corridors shall know us no more forever, 
and from the life of each may be drawn lessons for the liv- 
ing which shall be profitable to us and to our children. 
Thus, from the life of our colleague, for whom we pause 



14 Address of Mr. Afais/i, of Pen u sylvan ia.^ on the 

this lirirf moment that we may pay these feeljle tributes, 
we may <li-aw the lesson of obstacles overcome, of mauly 
courage, of fervid patriotism, of persevering effort, and 
liually of useful and honored service to the people whom 
he represented. 



Address of Mr, Maish, of Pennsylvania. 

Mr. Speaker: Since the late war political preferment has 
been largely bestowed upon young men who were partici- 
pants in the contest on one side or the other. The patriotic 
soldier received, as he merited, tlie confidence of his fellow- 
citizens, and hence for the last twentj^-five years a large pro- 
portion of the members of this body had borne a part in the 
Union Army. Mr. Laird was one of these, and I doubt not 
it was his gallant services as a soldier that first won the good 
opinion of his peoj^le. He was well qualified by edi;catiou, 
experience, and assiduous devotion to public duty to firmly 
engage the support of the people, and the best evidence that 
he succeeded in doing so is that he was sent by them to this 
House for four successive Congressional terms. There can 
be no doubt that had he lived he would have continued a 
member of this body many years longer. 

Mr. Laird was a conspicuous member of this House. He 
frequently participated in its debates, and he always dis- 
l)layed a clear comprehension of the questions he undertook 
to discuss. Whilst he was a Eepulilican of the strictest 
sect, he yet was a man of independent views, as was evi- 
denced by his address upon the tariff question, delivered 
in the remarkable debate upon that subject in the last 
Congress. 

He was scrupulously attentive to the needs of his coustit- 



Life and Character of James Laird. 15 

uents and Ms State, iuid wntelu'd with carefid vigilance the 
j)ut)Uc measures introduced into Congress. The farmers of 
this country especially always found in him an ardent ad- 
vocate of their interests. My acquaintance with Mr. Laikd 
extended over a period of only two years. We were, how- 
ever, members of the same committee, and I was therefore 
frequently brought into close contact with -him. Myknowl- 
edge of him, however, enables me to say without hesitation 
that the State of Nebraska in his death lost an able, devoted, 
and most useful representative. 

I last saw Mr. Laird at Atlantic City, N. J., soon after 
the adjournment of the last Congress. It was, alas, too aj)- 
parent then that death had already'marked him for his own. 
His awfulshadow was already u|i(iii him. Howsad thecon- 
trast. Only a few months before we saw him in these halls, 
the perfection of manly form and intellectiial vigor. Dis- 
ease put its dreadful blight upon him, and in a few days the 
struggle was over. His case, Mr. Speaker, should rci-all to 
our minds with peculiar emphasis the solemn fact, so aptly 
expressed by the great Burke, "What shadows we are, and 
what shadows we pursue." 



Address of Mr. Tarsney, of Missouri. 

Mr. Speaker: As I listen to-day to the eloquent and 
heartfelt tributes that have been paid by gentlemen on this 
iloor to the worth and character of him whose memory wo 
commemorate, it seems to me as if I did but listen to the 
reading of the liistory of a noble life, in which the authors 
of such history had, because of limited as.'^ociation, dealt 
only with a small period of the existence of that life. 

My friends who have spoken of their deceased colleague 
knew him as a man of mature years or as a legislator while 



Ifi Address of Mr. Tarsiicy, of Missouri, on the 

a member of this body only. Well and fitly have they 
spoken the history of that period of his life, and no tribute 
to his character and worth as a representative of the people 
in this House has to-day been uttered that will not meet 
with loving response from the hearts of all his coimtrynien. 

Brief as was his pu1)lic career, he yet left a record upon 
the pages of his country's history without which tliat liistory 
were not well or fully written. Brief as was that career, it 
was yet of sufficient span to make his name a household 
word with those who observe with interest the affairs of 
their country. Such an intellect as he possessed does not 
require the allotted time of man's life to make its impress 
irpon the world. 

Mr. Speaker, although it was not my jjrivilege to serve in 
this Chamlier with oui- departed friend, and therefore I can 
not speak from association or observation of his legislative 
work as those can who were his colleagues, yet, sir, during 
the last years he was a member of this House my interest or 
attention was never attracted t(_) the proceedings of this body 
without thoughts of him, for between him and me there 
existed ties of friendship stronger and more enduring than 
those ordinarily binding man to his fellow-man. It was not 
the friendship of an h(jur (u- of a few brief years, but was a 
friendship strong as brotherly love, binding us together 
from childhood, that caused me to watch with brotherly 
interest every act of his public career. 

Mr. Speaker, I would leave to others who were his daily 
associates and coworkers in shajiing the legislation of the 
country the friendly task of doing justice to his character 
and ability as a legislator, but may I not be permitted to 
refer to one event in the legislative career of my dead friend 
that marked the strong individuality and manhood of his 
character? 



Life and Cliarciclcr of James Laird. 17 

No imljlic nioasurc lias in recent years atti'acted wider 
attention or aroused more partisan feeling throughout (hi^ 
country than a measure presented I'or the consideration oi 
the Forty-ninth Congress. That was a measure seeking to 
reverse the action of the Government, by wliidi, if the CJov- 
ernment had erred, a grievous wrong and injustice had hecn 
done an innocent man who was a great soldier. 

The measure aroused personal and partisan antagonisms 
in and out of Congr(\ss. It was a- long a.n<l bitter struggle, 
and for a tin;e it seemed involved in doubt whether it would 
be determined by the application of principles of right and 
justice or by the cohesive principles of party allegiance and 
party fealty. 

Sir. I observed with no common interest the course and 
outcome of the struggle over that measure, and I observed 
with pride and admiration the manly and chivalric course 
of my friend who. .standing for right and justice as he 
believed, dared to confront and challenge the piirpose and 
determination of the great majority of his party associates, 
and never hesitating, never faltering under the great press- 
ui'c of the hour, by his eloquence, by the confidence of his 
associates in the honesty of his convictions, and by his manly 
and courageous bearing, added measurably to the result. 
But, sir, it is not of him as a legislator I would speak, for 
it was not as such I knew him best. 

Mr. Speaker, as I stand here to-day, as it wei'e, over the 

open grave of James Laird, it is not of the lawyer, the 

orator, or the statesman that I am thinking. It is not in 

any of these characters, tliough hi; was great in all. that he 

is recalled to me. I see him now as the playmate of my 

earliest boyhood days, the companion and schoolmate of my 

ri23er youth, and the comrade of the years that followed in 

the field of arms. 

H. Mis. 26G % 



lis ylddrcss of Mr. Tarsncy.^ of i\fissoitn\ on the 

James Laird was born in the State of New York, but 
wlieu a mere child his parents removed to Hillsdale County, 
Michigan, then almost a wilderness. It was there that I, 
only slightly his senior, first knew him, and there and then 
commenced a friendship that death can not sever. His 
father was a native of Scotland, a minister of the Presbyte- 
rian faith, a man of strong intellectual powers and of won- 
derful eloquence of speech, qualities richly inherited by-his 
son. 

In that semiwilderness, with only the advantages and 
comforts afforded in a pioneer community, we passed the 
first years of our lives together in attendance at the district 
school. Oft have I contested in friendly rivalry with him 
for the pi'izes offered at that institution wliich is the feature 
of the pioneer settlement devised for the combined purpose 
of amusement and intellectual development, the evening 
spelling school. The village academy, under the tutelage 
of our distinguished friend from Michigan [Mr. Cutcheon], 
followed tlie district school, and then came the war, with 
its tests for separating the gold from the dross of American 
manhood. In 18G3 we both entered the Army. In one of 
the first regiments to leave the State at the beginning of the 
war each of us had two elder bi'others. In this organization 
I enlisted and joined his brothers and my own; he enlisted 
in another regiment, but yet we were not separated, for our 
regiments were assigned to the same division. 

Following every battle in which we were engaged, scarcely 
would the firing cease when he would come with anxious, 
loving heart to find how fared it with those he loved. Once, 
sir, for him there was a sad coming; it was f)n tlie night that 
followed that dread day of the 2d of July at Gettysburgh. 
He came to find a lirother dead, a friend he loved missing 
and his fate iinkuown. Sir, the iron of the sorrow of that 



Life and Character of James La mi. 19 

(liciil night entered Ins soul ami never (lei)arto(l. hut re- 
maiued a hving sorrow to tlie hist ihiy of his life. 

Mr. Speaker, eulogif'S have heeu ^iroiioimced over the 
graves of tyrants, monunienis liave l)een erected to the mem- 
ories of maih'd innrdiTcrs i )(■ [)eoplesand of nations, poets have 
sung of dead orators and statesmen, hut lie of whom I speak 
was greater than a-ny of these — he was an ohedit'ut son. a 
kind playmate, a loving friend, an afFectionate In-other. 
Triie, he po.ssessed the courage that makes hei'oes and mar- 
tyrs. True, he was a hrave soldier. True, lie had all the 
chivalry of the most noble knight of the Middle Ages. True, 
he had eloquence and possessed the elements of statesman- 
ship. But he had more than all these. He had a manly 
heart. His affections were as gentle as those of a sister, his 
friendship as abiding as a niotliei-'s love. With the courage 
of .strong manhood, in him were combined all the tenderness 
and gentleness of a sym])athetic woman's nature. 

Mr. Speaker, while I was intimately associated with oui- 
lost friend from cluldhood to the end of his noble life, while 
as I stand here to-day seemingly in the presence of him dead, 
there crowds in upon my memory a long train of incidents 
connected with his life which to me nia.i-k the graudeui- and 
nobility of his character, yet there is one incident of our 
association which preeminently marked the loving and lov- 
able character of the man. an incident the memory of which 
shall never fade fi'oni my nnnd while T shall live. 

Wlnle on a visit to this city some three years since my 
friend invited mo to ride with iiim. We crossed the river 
and rode over yonder hills, where our camp had l)een pit<h(^d 
in the days of war. and whei-e now sleep in death so many 
of our companions in that gi'eat struggle. As we rode along 
naturally our conversation was of the events of those years 
of war, and then we .spoke of our parting at Gettysburgh. 



'20 Address of Mr. Tarsucy, of Missouri^ on Ike 

He told how, when tlie sun went down and uight brought a 
lull in the storm of battle, he sought out the remnant of the 
regiment to which I belonged, and in company with his 
brother and mine started over the field, each in search of a 
missing brother; told of moving here and there all night 
long with torch in hand to light uj) the sulphurous cloud that 
hiing like a jDall over the dead-covered field, and while groans 
and shrieks and cries rent the air, they threw the flashings of 
their torchlights into the uiiturned faces of dead friend and 
foe, seeking, yet hoping not to find, those for whom they 
sought; told of the coming of the morning sun and of the 
finding of one of tliose for whom they so'aght, his brother, 
dead, where he had f allen.in the midst of the carnage. 

Sir, there are occasions when it is manly for strong men 
to weep. Though twenty-five years had flown and gone by, 
the love in his heart for that dead brother was as fresh and 
green as on the day of the events he was reciting, and as he 
neared the end of his recital his voice grew husky, his strong 
frame shook like that of a woman in anguish, and tears rolled 
down his manly cheeks. Sir, those tears were coined out of 
the sympathies and love of a heart as noble and grand as 
God ever set in the frame of man. and to-day I feel more 
just pride in the memory of my friend, in the nature those 
tears evidenced, than though I should be able to boast of 
him that he had ruled empires or led armies to slaughter. 

Mr. Speaker, though James Laird, by his learning, 
his energy, and his commanding abilities won for himself 
honor and fame among his fellow -men, yet there have been 
but few men for whom honors and fame had less value than 
for him, and few indeed have had less incentive to strive 
for such prizes than had he. 

His associates who observed his energies, his studious 
character, his attention and devotion to duty; who admired 



Life and Character of James Laird. 21 

liis manly demeanor, his conrteons lioaring, and wlin were 
the recipients of his clioerful. kindly greetings, did not all 
know that within that perfect exterior thei-e dwelt a heart 
burning with volcanic fires of living sorrow; a heart sor- 
rowing as sorrowed the heart of a Rachel for loved lost 
ones, mourning '"because they are not."' 

What to him were honors and fame when all who were 
nearest and deai'est to him. and to whom liis honor and 
fame might have given joy and gladness, had V)een laid 
away in the silent gi'ave before such honors or fame had been 
earned or won ? 

To those who knew him as we who are here to-day knew 
him it is a sad thought that during all his long and final ill- 
ness there was at his bedside no wife, no cliild, no parent, no 
brother or sister to minister to his wants, to sootlu' his jiain, 
to comfort him with thoughts of love, and at the moment 
of his death to sustain him with assurance of the truth of 
the promise that death is the beginning of endless life. 

There is, liowever, consolation in the thought that for 
him death was not separation from, but reunion with, those 
he loved best. Mr. Speaker, the winds that fan the prai- 
ries of the State he honored here never sang requiem over 
the grave of one who filled better than he all the measures 
of a good son, loving brother, true friend, \aliant soldiei-. 
and fearless, honest legislator. 



22 Address of Mr. Voder, of Ohio, oi the 



Address of Mr. Yoder, of Ohio. 

Mr. Speaker: Tlie sliadow of a great grief lias again 
fallen iipon ns. The reaper Death, with dark and heavy 
hand, has once more entered this Hall, and gathered to his 
fathers our friend and brother James Laird. We, full of 
life and vigor, shrink from the thoixght of death, yet ever 
and anon with cold and iey hand he touches the comrade at 
our side, and, compelled, we meditate and mourn. Yet the 
departure of oiir friend is but the presage of what must 
come to all. Yea, death is the common lot, and with unfail- 
ing certainty his knoclv will be heard at the door of every 
household, and every inmate must sooner or later answer the 
call. Though we often bend over the bier and look on the 
face of the dead, yet the departure of our friends at an 
unexpected moment shocks us indeed and overwhelms lis 
with sorrow. 

Our colleague bade fair to reacli the allotted age to man of 
three-score years and ten. But it was not so. In full prime 
he was cut down. For tlie vigorous, the strong, and the 
active, such as he was, we expect long life, happiness, and 
joy in full fruition. But such was not the decree. The 
summons came; it must be obeyed be he king or siibject, 
jirince or peasant, and our friend met it with a brave heart. 
and with a courage as unflinching as in li f e. He was prepared . 
He had trusted not in the world, nor in its fleeting honors, 
nor in the pleasures and gaieties of the passing moment that 
quickly fade and die, but as a wise man, had laid up ti'easure 
where neither moth nor rust corrupts nor thieves break 
thi'ough and steal. 

The departed was a man of many excellent attributes. 



Life and Character of James Laird. 2."> 

Kiml, (•(Uirteoiis, attentive, obliging, lie wuii l>y liis correct 
antl manly cliaractoi'. Although possessed of a strong phy- 
sique, firm resolution, and decided convictions, he was ixs 
tender as a child in affection, ever open to the truth, and 
(puck to correct an error. To the one who had gained his 
confidence his fidelity was iinchanging. He delighted in 
doing good, avoided none, and would go far to confer a 
favor. S;ich a one. wherever he may be, fills a large sj)ace 
in a world of instability and change and deceit. 

I knew liim well. We sat side by side in the committee- 
room, met daily on this floor, and he was always the same 
gentle, free, amiable character. There was nothing in him 
of pretense, nothing of deceit, nothing untrue. His industry 
was unceasing, his energy tireless, his discrimination quick, 
his judgment good, and his counsel .safe. 

But he is gonel No woi'd that we can speak or thought 
that we can utter will reach the ear or touch that heart now 
stilled in death; but his memory we will fondly treasure. 
Noble man. tliou hast acted well thy part: rest in the joy of 
tliv full reward. 



ADDRESS OF MR. CONNELL, OF NEBRASKA, 

Mr. Speaker: Once moi-e the busy turmoil of the House 
is hushed in memory of the dead. All differences, political 
or sectional, are silenced. Contentions and controversies 
are forgotten, while with a common sorrow we offer our tiib- 
utes to the memory of a departed brother. 

In summing \\\) the life and character of my late colleague 
from Nebraska I would not, if I could, jiaint a picture free 
from blemish. It would lie out of harmony with the worM 
an<l all niankind. Frailties are iucident to the most exalted 



24 Address of Air. Coiiiicll., of Nebraska, on llic 

characters. Faults and failings are the shadows which na- 
ture, no less than art, demands for her most perfect work. 

As a new member I had hoped to receive the friendly 
counsel of my colleague in place of joining in this memorial 
service. During his three terms as a member of the Forty- 
eighth, Forty-nintli, and Fiftietli Congresses he was a strik- 
ing and picturesque character on the floor of this House. 
He was a remarkable combination of extremes. His char- 
acter was of the composite type, having in it the ruggedness 
and grandeur of the mountain, with the genial warmth and 
beauty of the valley. He was a true child of the prairie. 
Like a Western cyclone, he carried everything before him 
with irresistible force. His physique was powerful and his 
manner intensely dramatic. He was a tower of strength. 
His strength, however, was his greatest weakness. He 
seemed to know the laws of nature only to violate them. 
Like a powerful engine, with steam at double pressure, he 
failed to heed the warning of the brakes until the collision 
came. 

After the close of his labors at the last session of Congress 
he immediately entered upon the work of the jaolitical cam- 
paign in Nebraska with liis characteristic zeal and earnest- 
ness. Neither sleep nor rest seemed to l)e required by him. 
On all sides were his services demanded, and to every call 
he made response. A few days prior to the election in 
November, when the work which he had outlined for him- 
self was well-nigh completed, he was suddenly prostrated 
and rendered unable to fill his engagements for the last days 
of the cainpaign. This work was unnecessary so far as his 
own election was concerned, as the large majority which he 
received will attest. For a time he seemed to rally, l)ut lie 
was never again the "Jim Laird"" of old. He returned io 
Washington, but not to active service. 



Life and Character of James Laird. 2') 

The tin' wliicli liad Ininifil willi intensity h;i(l Iwcomo 
8Tni)l(lcring embers. The li.t;'lit wliicli liad shone witli bril- 
liancy had become a flickerinj;- Ihinie. ( )nce more he son^-ht 
his old home in Nebraska, where, witli freedom from care 
and perfect rest, it was hoped the old Hush of healtli would 
retui-n. When this hope seemed in fair way of realizati<m, 
a snrgical operation of supposed slight consecpience was 
deemed necessary. It was, however, attended witli fatal 
results. 

On the morning of August 7. 1S89, James Laird passed 
to his eternal rest. He was born June 20, 1849, at Fowler- 
ville, Livingston County, N. Y. As a mere boy, when 
only thirteen years of age, he entered the Army, enlisting 
as a private in the Sixteenth Michigan Infantry. He 
served with the Army of the Potomac until the close of the 
war. Upon receiving an honorable discharge, July 8. 1865, 
he returned to his home near Hudson, Mich. He soon after- 
wards entered the Michigan University at Ann Arlior, and 
graduated from the law college in 1871. The following year 
he removed to Juniata. Nebr. , where he entered upon the 
active practice of his i^rofession. He subsecpiently removed 
to Hastings, Nebr.. which place continued his liome until 
the time of his death. 

It was my privilege, in comi)any with my colleagues. Con- 
gressmen Dorsey and Laws, to attend liis funeral. The day 
was beautiful and the services impressive. In tlic soft twi- 
light of the afternoon the emaciated form of our departed 
friend and brother was lowei'cd to its final resting jjlace. 
His life woi-k on earth is ended. In tlie prime of liis man- 
hood his cai-eer is cut short. May we not hope that in the 
world l)eyond will be witnessed the I'oundingof a life so bril- 
liant, so brief, and so incomplete ? Surely there is a life im- 
mortal, wherein may be realized the pure ideal which few. 



26 Addj^css of Mr. Dorscy, of Nebraska, on tlic 

if any, this side of tlie ocean wliich separates the present 
from tlie fiiture have ever attained. 

O life ! what mystery thy birtli enshrouds. 

For ages past hath man in vain essayed 

Tliis mystery to solve — thy origin to learn. 

O soul ! my soul ! speak out and tell me clear 

Whence came thou here ■:" Whence thy deep yearning for 

Immortal life ''. Methinks I hear thee say, 

" Be .still and tru.st. In God we live and move 

And have our being ; more we can not know." 



Address of Mr, Dorsey, of Nebraska. 

Mr. Speaker: Again thebitsiness of this Honse has been 
suspended, and we put aside our cares, we pause in our de- 
liberations that we may pay a brief trilinte to tlie memory 
of one who when last seen upon this floor gave promise of 
many years of useful service to his State. Death has made 
fearful demands upon the membership of the jjresent Con- 
gress. Those who were in the prime of manhood as well as 
those who have passed the allotted three-score and ten have 
been taken from among us, and now the sad duty devolves 
of paying due respect to the memory of our deceased friend 
and colleague. 

My first meeting with Mr. Laird occvirred soon after he 
had selected for his future home the fertile plains of Ne- 
braska and casf his lot with the hardy pioneers he found 
there. He located first at the little town of Juniata, in the 
county of Adams. This section of Nebraska was at that 
time sparsely settled and society was in an unorganized con- 
dition; but this then undeveloped country promised a rich 
reward to one who was willing to put his shoulder to the 
wheel and persevere, and here he commenced the practice of 



Life and CliaracUr of James Laird. 27 

liis pi-otVssioii. At (Hir lir.st meetinj? I was attracted to him 
by lii^ fi-auk. mn'ii nuiiiiicr and liis sturdy luaidincss. ami 
during these intervening years we have Ijeen thrown niucdi 
tDgetlior. I always found him the same genial, c<jnipanion- 
at)le man that I lirst met. never cast down in defeat, and 
never unduly elated in the Imur of success. 

During the last days of his attendance upon the meetings 
of tliis body he would have been annMig the last selected as 
the probable subject of a memorial liketliis. Thougli allot- 
ted but a few brief years among us, his life was tilled witii 
stirring events. Entering the service of his country when 
a mere youth, he j^irticipated in all the gi-eat battles fought 
by the Army of the Potomac. He was a brave and fearless 
soldier and served the country he loved faithfully and well. 
His strong arm was one among the first stretched forth to 
uphold our starry flag in the hour of the nation's dire dis- 
tress. He was loyal to his country, and not less loyal to liis 
friends. He was proud of the fact that his name appeared 
iipoii the rolls of that grand organization, the Army of tlic 
Potomac, an army more renowned than tliat which followed 
the great Xapoleon across the Alps or closed about the Iron 
Duke at Waterloo. And the din of battle, the weary march, 
and the solemn reverie before the dawn of days whidi had 
in store for him he knew not what, was the school in whicii 
he developed, and he came out a man in all that word im- 
plies. 

At the close of tlie war he I'eturned to his home in Michi- 
gan and took up again the broken thread of his study, deter- 
mined to fit himself for life's great struggle and to grapple 
with such obstacles to his i)rogress as the future miglit dis- 
close. He graduated from tlic law school at Ann Arbor, and 
then, like hundreds of tliose who had served witli liim, lie 
came to the new State of Nebraska, where he at once took 



28 Addj-css of Mr. Dorscy, of K'cbraska, on the 

his position as a leader in the new community in which he 
settled. He was sent to the convention called to formulate 
a constitution for our State, and there made for himself a 
reputation as an earnest worker, a ready debater, and a JTi- 
dieious counselor. He soon attained a high position at the 
har and was engaged in the trial of many important cases. 
When the apportionment was made under the census of 18S0, 
and Nebraska was given three Representatives in this legis- 
lative Hall, Mr. Laird was elected to represent the Second 
district in the Forty-eighth Congress, and was reelected to 
the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, and J'ifty-tirst Congresses, at the 
last election receiving the largest majority ever given in his 
district. He had a very strong hold upon the hearts of his 
people, and esijecially of the old soldiers, to whom he gave 
loving and earnest service. 

As a member of this House he was always kindly consid- 
ei'ate of the rights of others, and anxi(ju.s to do everything 
that would tend to advance the interests of the Great West. 
He was a useful member, and served faithfully his State 
and country. He was assigned to a place on the Committee 
on Military Affaii's during his entire service in this body, 
and it was largely through his efforts that the bill was 
passed making provision for homes for disabled soldiers in 
every State in the Union. His old comrades in the Second 
district feel that his loss to them is irreparable. During the 
tirst session of the Fiftieth Congress, which was prolonged 
through the heat of summer, Mr. Laird was comi^elled to 
remain at his post of duty. He was urged by his friends to 
refrain from work and take the recreation he so much needed, 
but he refused to do so until tlie measures in which he was 
interested had been di.sposed of. 

Before the close of the session he returned to his home and 
threw himself with all the energy of his nature into the polit- 



Life and C liarailrr of James Laird. 29 

ical contest tlien I'jigiiiy. He made appointments for meet- 
ini;s. and <in many days made two addresses at points many 
miles apart. His strength, greatly impaired, gave way be- 
fore the campaign was over, an<l he, prostrated from over- 
work, was compelled to return to his home and place himself 
under the care of his pliysieian. He rallied from this attack, 
bnt was not able to again take his seat in this Chaml)er. He 
fought manfully against the malady that had taken hold 
iipon him, but was unable to conquer it. 

]\Ir. Laikd was a man of strong convictions and of great 
capacity for labor, and had his life been .spared he would 
undoubtedly have been asked to serve his district here until 
his State or his country should call him higher; but he was 
stricken in the prime of life, in the midst of a pul)lic career 
of which any man might well be proud. When he realized 
that the sands of iiis life were run, that he was called to face 
the great unknown, he contemijlated the coming darkness 
without a tremor, he gazed into the valley of the shadow 
with the calmness of — 

Ono that \vi-aps the drajiery of his couch 
About hinj, and Hes (.lowii to pleasant dreams. 

The resolutions were unanimously adopted ; and the House 
accordingly (at 4 o'clock and 50 minutes p. m.) adjourned. 



PROCEEDINGS IN THE SENATE. 



ANNOUNCEMENT OF DEATH. 



December in. 1S90. 

Mr. Manderson. I ask that the Chair lay before the Seii- 
atvi resohitious received from tlie House of Representatives 
anuoimciug the deatli of Hon. James Laird, of Nebraska. 

The Vice President. The Chair lays Ijefore the Senate 
resolutions from the House of Representatives, which will 
be read. 

The Chief Clerk read as follows: 



Ix THE House of Representatives, December IS. 1889. 

Resolved, Tliat the House of Reitresentatives lias heard with ]irofi)iiiul 
sorrow of the death of Hon. James Laird, late nieiiiber of this House 
from the Second district of Nebra.ska. 

Resolved. That the Clerk he directeil to notify the relatives of Hon. 
.Iamhk T.aird of the jia-ssa^e of this resolution. Also, that the Clerk he 
directed to send a copy of this resolution to the Senate. 

Resolved, That a-s a further mark of respect the Housedo now adjourn. 

31 



32 Pro(Tcd/)/gs In the Senate. 

Mr. Mandekson. 1 offer the following resolutions for the 
consideration of tlie Senate: 

Resolued, Tiia,t the Senate has lieard witli deep regret the anuounoe- 
meiit (if tlie death of Hon. James Lauid, late a member of the House of 
Representative!? from the State of Nebraska. 

Resolved. That as an additional mark of respect to the memory of the 
deceased the Senate do now adjourn. 

Understanding that there are communications -of a sim- 
ilar character as to other deceased members of the House of 
Representatives, I do not ask for action upon the resolutions 
at 2)resent. 



EULOGIES. 



September IS, ISiio. 

The Vice President. The liour of 4 o'clock luivinj^ 
arrived, the Chair hiys before the Senate resolutions from 
the Hoiise of Re])resentatives, whicli will be read. 

The Chief Clerk read as follows: 

In the House of Representatives, December 18. iss!». 

Resolved. That the House of Representatives has heard with i)r(>l(iuiiil 
soiTow of the death of Hon. James Laird, late member of this House 
from the Second district of Nebraska. 

Re.wlved, Tliat the Clerlv be directed to notify the relatives of Hon. 
James Laird of the passage of this resolution. Also, that the Clerk be 
directed to .send a copy of this resolution to the Senate. 

Resolved. That as a further mark of resiject tlie Hou.se do tiow adjourn. 

Mr. Manderson. Mr. President, I offer tlie resolutions 
which I send to the desk. 
The Vice President. The resolutions will be read. 
The Chief Clerk read as follows: 

Whereas the Senate has heanl with profound sorrow of the death of 
Hon. James Laird, late a member of tlie House of Representatives from 
the State of Nebraska: 

Resoliyil. That the Imsiness of tlie Senate be now suspemU'd. in order 
tliat tittiuK tribute l)e i)ai<l to Ids memory. 

Resolred. Tliat as an additional mai-k of resju'ct the Senate, at the con- 
clusion of these ceremonies, do adjourn. 

33 

H. Mis. 2i}(j :3 



34 AM/Tss o/jl/r. A/a/nfrrso//, (7/Ar/>ras/c(7, on tlu 



Address of Mr Manderson, of Nebraska, 

Mr. President: Death, that " sinless, stirless rest— that 
change which never clianges" — is the common lot of all. 
' It is as natural to die as to be born," and yet its hapj)ening 
seems often the unnatural, and in no case so markedly as 
when it comes to man at the age when muscular strengtli, 
mental vigor, and virile cajjacity should be at the maximum. 

To the child, with its undeveloped forces, delicate frame, 
weak mentality, and slight resisting power, the change 
comes so easily, that it is almost the expected. To the old 
man, with emasculated energies, worn-out body, enfeebled 
physical and mental powers, who has reached the time 
spoken of by the Preacher, when he is " afraid of that 
which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the alnK.md 
tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, 
and desire shall fail," the great transition comes as a relief, 
and seems as natural as the fall of some tree in the forest, 
whose dead toji and bare, specter-like arms, lifted beseecli- 
ingly towards heaven, tell of the sapless trunk and the dead 
heart. 

But we expect nourishing shade, the springing of leaf and 
bud and flower, when root and trunk and branch show the 
vigor of matui'ity witliout decadence of strength; and when 
such a tree falls it carries all the sliock of that liappening 
which is opposed to nature. 

The taking ofl: of James Laird, my friend of many years, 
my comrade in a gi-c^at cause, and my colleague in official 
duties, was not only the unexpected, but even after the lapse 
of so many months since his death it seems the unnatural. 
Of sturdy frame, impressive personality, great vigor, im- 



Life and I lutractcr of Jnvirs f.aird. 35 

pulsivp foroo, aggressive power, \w had tliat makc-tiii. pliys- 
iral and mental, that seemed to iiniuirt a vitality tliat cdulil 
conquer all enemies until such time as the resisting energy 
■was sapped by the taking on of many years. He was cast 
in mold so strong that one can not but exclaim — 

Oh! what ha<ist Ihou to ilo witli cnicl Death, 
Who wast so full of life, or Death with thee, 
xhat thou .shouUlst die before thou hatlst prowu old ? 

" The (lays of our years are three-score years and ton," 
eays the Psalmist, but to my friend and comrade, to whom 
the di'ead siimmous came on the 17th day of August, bSSO, 
there had been vouchsafed but little over two-score years. 

Jame.s Laird was of Scotch ancestry. His father was a 
native of Scotland, a Presbyterian minister, a man of strong 
intellect, high attainments, and an imiiassioned orator. Ho 
transmitted his keen Scotch sense of justice, intellectual 
power, and gift of eloquence to his son. 

When James was a small child the family moved to Hills- 
dale County, Mich. He attended the district .school, and 
afterwards entered the academy to receive instruction from 
a teacher who afterwards became his comrade in arms and 
later his associate in the House of Rej)resentatives and his 
colleague on the Committee on Military Affairs, General 
B. M. Cutcheon, of Michigan. The good father died while 
all his sons were young, and the mother was left with four 
small children to care for. 

The spring of IS'il ushered in the great war of the rebel- 
lion. The two oldest boys were promjit to respond to the 
call to arms, and although so young, the patriotic spirit of 
the third youth could not long be held in check. He enlisted 
as a private soldier on the 24th day of August, 18G1, in Com- 
pany K (Stockton's), Sixteenth Regiment of Michigan In- 
fantry, but was soon transferred to Company G. In the 



-"56 Address oj Mr. Mandcrson, of Nebraska, on the 

autumn the regiment became a 2)art of the Arm_v of the 
Potomac, and the first battle in whicli the young soldier 
liad a chance to prove the metal in him was at Hauover 
Court-House, in May, 1863. 

Excei)t when absent, frcjm wounds received, he did duty 
at the front until that proud day when, with other partici- 
pants, he rejoiced over the surrender at Appomattox and 
the final triumph of the right. 

The story of the military career of this Ixiy reads like a 
romance, almost challenging belief. While yet in his teens 
he served for four years of active vigorous war, and achieved 
the positions of sergeant, second lieutenant, first lieutenant, 
captain, and brevet major, every i)romotion being given for 
bravery upon the field of battle. He received four gunsliot 
wounds and one saber cut, and was for a period a wounded 
l)risoner of war. 

At the battle of Gaines's Mills he was struck with a, mus- 
ket liall ill the left breast, which passed through him, coming 
out under the left shoulder-blade. In this sad plight he fell 
into the enemy's hands, and was confined in Libby prison 
for six dismal weeks. On account of his extreme youth and 
grievous wounds he was then exchanged, and remained in 
hospital near Annapolis until November, 1SG3, when he re- 
joined his command. 

He fought at Chancellorsville, and was one of the bravest 
of the brave who resisted the fierce attacks of the rebel hosts 
at Gettysburgh. Near the expiration of his first term of 
service the beardless boy reenlisted and became a veteran 
Volunteer. 

He was with the fighting columns under Grant in the fierce 
struggles about RichnK )nd. At Dabney's Mills young Laird 
was acting as regimental adjutant. At a critical time in the 
engagement the enemy turned the Federal flank. The regi- 



Life and Character of James Laird. 37 

iiicnt bei^an to rctrcul. and licl'nrc a nowalitjinnont could be 
made a stampede seemed imiiiiiieiit. I (jiiote from a letter 
received by ine from a captain of the rcLjiment: 

Unilor a galliiis fii'i' L.vniD roilc aloiif; the line enoouraKiiiK tlie \\\\- 
verint; ami cursing the cmvanlly. His loni; hair tluttorin>;- and I'ye ht 
with enthusiasm, he aijpeareil tlie ])ers(>nilii-atii>n of war's fiery madness. 
Tlie entliusiasni of the l>ov awoUe a steady determination in the men. 
The inijiending stampede stopped, and under liis inspiring leadersliip the 
regiment took a new position with unhroken ranks. 

A more loyal and devoted soldier to the eaiise for which 
he foiTght did not wear the blue. His intense naturt^ al- 
lowed no part iierfornuiuce of duty. His enthusiastic loy- 
alty and poetic temperament made the fla,"' of his country 
the symbol of all that was good. His comrades testify that 
his loving devotion to it was so strong that he seemed to 
court the utmost danger and the most perilous places in its 
defense. 

Did time permit I uiight read by the hour from letters re- 
ceived by me from his army associates, who loved him for 
his open manliness, pure patriotism, and heroic endeavor. 
After a sejjaration of a quarter of a century they have not 
forgotten the youthful hero who won their hearts, and have 
sent me their tributes to his memory. One says: 

L.\lRn"s miHtary cai'eer was an epitome of young lierf)ism seldom 
equaled and never excelled. He never allowed the most daring to outdo 
him. He had a magnetic patriotism so exalted that it kept the wavei-ing 
steady and lent enthusiasn\ to the strong. He was the jjeer of the bravest . 

Mustered out July 8, 1805, he returned to his home in 
Michigan a battle-scarred veteran and yet a smooth-faced 
boy. 

While others of his age had been at school, submitting to 
the teacher's will, he had been the impetuous, dashing leader 
of bearded men. He had taken lessons from the great caj)- 



38 Address of Mr. Mandnsoii, of Nebraska, on the 

tains in the "big wars tliat make ambition virtue." He 
had been hai'dened in "the flinty and steel coucli of war," 
and it was no easy taslv to l)ring his turbulent spii-it under 
the discipline of the schoolroom and the subjection of the 
master. 

A short time at the college at Adrian and then a course 
at the law school of the State University at Ann Arbor 
and he was ready to begin life's battles on fields more peace- 
ful. With an associate he became the owner of the Hudson 
Post, and for about two years wielded the jien of the editor 
of a co^intry newspaper. It was strongly and aggressi^•ely 
Republican in politics, and its vigorous editorials evidenced 
the pugnacious spirit of its young manager. 

In Jiine, 1871, Major Laird was admitted to the bar of the 
State of Michigan, and for a time practiced law at Lansing. 
In July. 1873, he turned his face westward, and settled at 
Juniata, Nebr., removing after a few yeai's to Hastings, 
where he lived until his death. He was in the active prac- 
tice of his profession until his election to the Forty-eighth 
Congress. 

He practiced law as he fought in battle. He attached 
himself to his client and his cause with a loyalty that knew 
no shadow of turning. He threw his whole soul into the 
case on trial. While never a bookish lawyer or a close stu- 
dent of the law, he had a mind that grasped the legal situa- 
tion with power, and the staying, fighting quality that wins 
controversies. 

He was a powerful advocate, armed with eloc^uence so en- 
chanting that jurors became his captives. Men will speak 
for many years of his courageous defense in the celebrated 
Olive murder case. For the thirty days of the trial in that 
outraged and indignant frontier community tlie lives of the 
accused murderers were kept in their bodies and Judge Lynch 



Life auii Character of James Laird. 39 

held at bay only l)y tlio matchless bravery of their cotmsel, 
James Laird. 

An eminent man, who now ornaments the hencli in Ne- 
braska, says of his speech to tlir jury in tlie Olive case: 

It is unsurpassed in the (-(nnaKi'Df its cciiucptir)!!. in the boldness of its 
outline, and intlic height of its sulilinu-, IdiciCnl. and inipassioniMl decla- 
mation. 

The same jurist, writina; to me a sliort time aj^^o, snms 

ii]) his characteri-stics as a lawyer in the following forceful 

words: 

Whethor in the courtroom or in the convention, the contest on I.aird's 
part was one of chivalry. A military atnu)si)here surrounded it. There 
was the waving of plumes and lianners and lla^;s and the cliarge of cav- 
alry interspersed with music. 

He abandoned no cause when it lacked numbers. He deserted no 
friend in the minority. He feared no opposition when he believed him- 
self right, and he espoused no cause that he believed imjust. 

He won the respect and admiration of his professional 
brethren by the open fairness of his contests. Giving sturdy 
blows, he asked no quarter. Chicane and finesse were weap- 
ons he did not know how to use. His manliness, Ijoldness, 
and fairness not only won clients, but commanded tlie 
respect of adversaries, the confidence of judges, and the 
admiration of the public. Had he lived and continued the 
practice of law he would have become one of the leaders of 
the Western bar. 

In 1875 we sat together as members of the convention 
that framed the constitution of the State of Nebraska, which 
is to-day its supreme law. His services to the State in that 
body, composed of the best material in the Commonwealth, 
were most important. He took front rank as a debater, 
bringing to the performance of liis duties industrious re- 
search and much originality. 

Major Laird was an earnest Re]jul)liean, possessed of a 



40 Address of Mr. Afai/dcrsim, of Nebraska, on the 

loyalty and sense of fealty tliat ijermitted no departure from 
its doctrines or disbelief in its leading tenets. 

On the stnmp he was a miglity power, and the people of 
western Neljraska will speak for many years of the music 
of his voice and the persuasive force of his oratory. 

After the apportionment based upon the census of 1880, 
when Nebraska was divided into three districts, Major Laird 
was nominated by the Eepublicans of the Second district as 
Representative to the Forty-eighth Congress. This canvass 
was one of great vigor and force, and he was elected l)y a 
good majority. He was elected to the Forty-ninth, Fiftietli. 
and Fifty-first Congresses, and every time he went before the 
people of his district bearing the standard of his party he 
inci'eased his majority. 

His Congressional career was signally brilliant, being char- 
acterized by that fearlessness that was his leading trait and 
marked by an ability that won for him friends cjn Ix.itli sides 
of the aisle of political division. He was an active member 
of the Committees on Military Affairs and on Pensions, and 
was tireless and constant in liis efforts for his comrades. 
No ex-soldier ever appealed to him in vain, and his genei'ous 
nature could refuse nothing to the suffering or dependent. 

He lived so close to his constituents that he felt the warm- 
est sympathy for and was devoted to the interests of the 
frontier settlers, avIio witli sucli infinite labor and such ter- 
rible sacrifice were carving out the great empire of tlie 
"West. His appeal to Congress to do justice to the settlers 
on the Knevals lands, who, holding patents from tlie Gov- 
ernment, were about to be driven from their liomes, S(_)unds 
like a trumpet call. He said : 

It is difficult for a man having a face-to-face knowledge of the circum- 
stances surrounding these settlers to speak witli that temperance that 
befits the language of judgment when discussing the wrongs perpetrated 



Life and Character of James Laird. 1 1 

nil ihi'se people now about to be diiisged from tlieir lioiues, after having 
biiii liarassed and impoverished l)y yeare of fruitless litigation, in which 
they have been driven from court to court in the name of " jusliee." 

Is there no voii-e that pleads liis cause who bravely holds his wav along 
the front of civilization, laying deep and strong the foumlations of a 
niiglity State? From tlie toil and strife of tliese men sjjrang Kansas and 
Nebraska, the Hr.st anti-slavery .States, even as in the olden time sprang 
the avenging Marius from the "<lust and ashes." * * * 

Mr. Speaker, these men are my constituents: they are more, they are 
my neighbors; they are still more, they are my comrades ; for in the 
heroic days nearly lune-tenth.s of them were Union soldiers. This will 
not prejudice their cause with you, men of the South, for yon were brave, 
and must be just and .generous. 

In tlie Forty-iiiiith Congross he niado another heroic and 
at last a successful effort ou belialf of those settka's, going 
to the House ou his crutcihes. suffering from a severe acci- 
dent, from whirli he never fully recovered. 

One of his most notable contests, the conduci of which 
endeared him to the West, was his attack upon tiie mefliods 
of the General Land Office during tlie last administration. 
He repudiated in a vigorous numiiiT (he <'lia.rgc lliat a- great 
maj(jrity of the entries of the public hinds were fraudulent, 
and that the great West was made up of land tliicives and 
perjurers, and was bitter in his denunciation of tiie (mtra- 
geous spy system that l)ecanie in so nuiiiy instances merely 
a method of levying blackmail. 

His leading traits were courage and loyalty, and both 
were fully exemi)litied in his action in the celebrated Fitz 
John Porter cas(!. He liad served witli (icneral Porter in 
his youth, and, fortunately perhaps, was absent, wounded. 
at the time of the battle when his general played the role of 
a spectator and not that of a participant. His constituency, 
almost to a man, con<leiiiiif(l th(^ effort to restoi'e the dis- 
placed commander to tlie army list : but Laikd had a boy- 
ish luitliusiasm for the chief who led him first into b;ittlc, 
and espoused his cause with a di^volion so true and ;i 



42 Address of Mr. Afatidcrson, of Nebraska., on the 

bravery so marked that criticism upon liis course was almost 
•lisariued. Before he made his speech upon the Porter re- 
lief bill many threatened him with political extinction if he 
continued to stand by the bill. His reply was so admirable 
that I can not refrain from quoting it : 

Let me remark to the gentlemen who seek to bring the menace of fu- 
ture punishment to liear upon the discharge of present duty, that if I knew 
tliis act of mine would end my bodily existence, as you say it may end 
my t)flEicial one, then still would I do it : and I would thank God that my 
loyalty to my country, as I understand her honor: that my loyalty to my 
general, as I understand my duty; that my loyalty to the truth, as I 
know it to be. was sti'ong enough to lift my conduct above the possibility 
of the ignominious charge to come from cowardly considerations affect- 
ing my life or future condition. 

The threatened punishment never came to him. While 
his constituents condemned his vote, they admired and ap- 
plauded the courage of his words and his affectionate fealty 
to his old commander. 

There was a depth in the nature of James Laird sounded 
only liy a few intimates. He was not one to say: 

I will wear my heart upou my sleeve 
For daws to peek at; 

and yet to those who had his fullest confidence he would show 
that under the somewhat rugged exterior there was a love 
of the beautiful in nature and art that led to gentle deeds. 

The same prompting that taught him with deft fingers to 
arrange the flowers he loved into beautiful and attractive 
forms led him to cull out the most tender and delicate of the 
jjoets for the enjoyment of himself and his chosen intimates. 
He had exquisite sensibilities of which the many knew noth- 
ing. 

To me there is something pitiful in the loneliness of the 
last few years of his short life. He had no near relative 
living at tlie time of his death. He was the last of his race. 
The father, the strong preacher, died in his youth. His two 



Life and Character of James Laird. \% 

oldest brothers were killed on the field of honor near his 
side in the early days of the war. His younn-er hrother 
di(>d of a distressino: accident some yeai's ago. There was 
left to liini no kin save tlie dear old .Scotch niotlicr, tn whom 
her "boy Jamie" was all in all. 

How fondly he cherished her. She made her home- with 
him, and desolation entered the door when her form was 
carried thmuiJ-h it to the lone conch of her everlastinj? 
sleep. After her death he seldom spoke of her. but when 
he did it was with a wealth of rich devotion to her mt'mory. 

Bnt the rennion has come to them and to him. as I be- 
lieve, full recompense for the losses and deprivations of 
this transitory life. The gain is his, the loss is onrs. 

His community monrns for a good citizen departed: his 
State laments for an efficient servant lost; I sorrow for the 
taking away of a true-hearted, self-sacrificing friend. 



Address of Mr. Paddock, of Nebraska. 

Mr. President: Death innst ever remain to unaided 
mortal percei)tion a deep and nnsolvable prol)lem. Neither 
the uninspired musings of the ages nor the discoveries of 
science have been able to pierce the clouds which shroud the 
hereafter (n- lift the veil behind which humanity must pass. 
We know only that we are, that we shall soon cease to be, 
and that the mystery of existence is scarcely less pi'ofound 
than that of its extinction. We witness with tearful eyes 
and lips trend^ling with inexj^ressible affection a transition 
whose course we can not follow, and gaze with strained 
vision upon the beginning of a journey whose bourn we 
can not pi-edicate. Upon the last scene of the di'ama of a 
life, rich in tlu' associations of cherished fiiemlships and 



44 Address of Mr. Paddock, of Nebraska, on the 

ill the sacred ties of family and home, the curtain falls, the 
lights are extinguished, and we are left alone in the gloom 
and darkness of death. 

That "the young may die, the old must die," is a truism. 
In the case of the aged, nature moves slowly in i)reparing 
us for the inevitable change. The whitening hairs, the fur- 
rows which time draws in the ground of exj^erience, the 
halting step, the failing vision — all prefigure " the fate we 
dread, yet look upon. " 

Hence, when an aged man, decollated with the bright glo- 
ries of an honorable and useful life, the natural fruitage 
of a character strengthened and purified by tlie trials which 
chasten and the successes which renew confidence and hope, 
l^asses away, we recognize the synonym of nature. 

But when a young man, rich in all manly graces, full pan- 
oplied for the battle of life, whose brilliant achievements 
even before the skirmish line is passed presage a triuniplial 
march to the front in human affairs, is stricken by the angel 
of Death, the questioning spirit arises and will not down. 

"Life takes an atom and grows it to a world," all)eit 
we know tliat in the fullness of its time decay and death 
shall surely come. 

Life takes a child from obscurity and grows him to the 
l)lace of primacy among his fellows; but why. in the vigor 
of young manhood, with the harvest ail unripe, he is cut 
down forever we can not know. We may believe that for 
him "death is the larger gain, not loss and oblivion," and 
ill this reflection we may find some assuagement of our 
grief. But who can measure the loss to the sum of the 
world's forces, the world's activities, the world's store of 
manhood, when such a man dies ? 

Such as this was he for whom to-day we mourn, and such 
the loss sustained in his early death. 



L.o'a 



Fjfc and C liarnctcr of James I.aini. 45 

Sjiniti.n- fnmi sturdy Scotch stock, those sterlinj,' chanictor- 
istics wiiicli distinguishcil tlic iiicii of tlic iiortli wi-iv Mr. 
Laird's by iulicritancc. His earlii-r life had \iw\\ uw cf 
those liard strugylos against adverse cii'cuiiistaiices whose 
stern discipline has made our country sjdeiidid with heroic 
achievements. Into the brief period allotted for his activi- 
ties he had crowded the exi)enences of the volunteer sohlier, 
the intrepid party leader, and the trusted i)ul)lic servant. 
And yet those who knew him best believed that his strength 
liail only jiartially developed, and thai in the growing ma- 
turity of his powers lay the ijromise of a futui'e harvest of 
great usefulness and renown. 

When the call to arms was sounded foi- the defense of the 

imperiled Union the ardent iiatuiv of young L.\ii;i uld 

not l)e lung restrained, and while yet a mere boy he was 
ftuuul in the Army of the Potomac bravely fighting for his 
country. He endured the hardships of a soldiei-'s life, per- 
forming his full and equal duty a,longsid(> his older and 
stronger comrades until the close of tlie war. 

He was with that valiant host through victory and defeat 
on the banks of the now peaceful river from which it took 
its name: in the swamps of the Chickahominy. on the bloody 
fields of Manassas and Antietam. and in the trenches l)efore 
Richmond. Following its standard, he carried the musket 
of a private soldier, and esteemed it a decoration more to be 
valued than the baton of authority in the officijxl household 
of an emperor. 

Mr. Laird's service in the Army, covering nearly the en- 
tire period of the war, made him always afterwards a zeal- 
ous, diligent, and useful advocate of the righteous claims of 
the Union's defenders. To them his heart went out and his 
actions gave exjjression to his impulses. The feeling of com- 
radeship which thrilled him in the stern struggle for the 



^M-;- 



46 Address of Mr. Paddock, o/N'cbraska, on the 

nation's unity was not niei'ely a mouthing sentiment, useful 
for the hustings and useless in the field of practical effort 
for the relief and betterment of the nation's defenders. He 
felt that they were bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, 
his brothers all, and entitleil to his love, his sympathy, and 
his assistance. And this they never failed to receive in 
fullest measure. 

Leaving the Army, Mr. Laird spent several years in pre- 
paring himself for his chosen profession — the law. Soon 
after his graduation at the University of Michigan, in 1S71, 
he removed to the young State of Nebraska and entered 
upon active practice. He soon fought his way to the fore- 
most rank in his profession. He was aggressive, vigilant, 
untiring. To the court he stated a legal proposition with 
singular precision and force. He marshaled his facts with 
such skill as almost to carry conviction without proof. He 
was masterful in analysis and generalization. As an ad- 
vocate before a jury he was almost irresistible. He seemed 
at times the very incarnation of elocpience. His voice was 
a virile but soiilful human nature set to music. 

Mr. Laird entered legislative life as a niemljer of the 
Forty-eighth, and was reelected to the Forty-ninth, Fiftieth, 
and Fifty-first Congresses. He was the first Rejjresenta- 
tive from the Second district of Nebraska, and died in its 
service. During most of his Congressional career his was 
the largest ^and most populous district in the State. How 
manifold, laborioxis, and exacting his duties were none but 
a Congressman from a new State can understand. 

His was the section which first felt the imjjact of the 
mighty stream of immigration which during the past dec- 
ade and a half has peopled our State with an intelligent, in- 
dustrious, and thrifty constituency. New England and the 
Middle States, uniting with the great Mississippi Valley, 



Life and Character of James FMird. 17 

soul tlirir sturdiest sons aiul daiiu'lilcrs to lay the rouiulu- 
tioii and roar the snpci-struct tire nl' the new Commouwoaltli. 
Attracted by our generous land laws and drawn by tJio 
richness of the unvexed prairies, the ambitious tenantry of 
Europe swelled the flood of home-seekers and added the fru- 
gality and industry of their native lands to the elements 
already engaged in transforming the desert into a garden. 

With few cities, but with numerous thriving towns and 
hamlets, Mr. Laird's district was essentially agricultural. 
The schoolhouse, the church, ami the newspaper, those 
three great educational factors of our Republic, were found 
in almost every community. It was indeed a high honor 
to represent such a constituency, and my deceased friend 
felt it to be such. His Congressional career was charac- 
terized by the most faithful, industrious, and conscientious 
performance of duty. The calls upon his per.sonal atten- 
tion were exhaustive of time and strength. Countless ap- 
peals to sympathetic effort to remedy wrongs done by de- 
layed justice came to him. 

But he never complained under necessary bui'dens. In 
committee he was eflicient and persistent. t)n the Hoor of 
the House he was always vigilant, and brought the trained 
mind of a lawyer to the investigation ami discussi(}n of the 
(juestions 2)resented. He was r(>ady in debaie and fertile in 
expedients. He was a bin'u combatant. He gloried in the 
clash of arras, and was always happiest in the storm and 
stress of c-onflict. His courage rose with opposition, and liis 
i-esources were at best command when the din of battle was 
loudest and the cheering of his adversaries was strongest. 

He asked no quarter. He foiight for victory and expected 
to win it. But luMvas a manly antagonist. He was "one 
who never turned his back. l)ut marched breast forward." 
He dealt his blows in the liglit of day full at the guarded 



48 Address of Mr. Paddock, of Nebraska, on the 

front I )f opposition. Tlie world admires a manly man. It 
has never i-ef used its meed of prsjise to tlie man with ronvie- 
tious and the courage to maintain and defend them when- 
ever and however assaulted. Popular opinion, all-powerfvxl 
in its final influence, may for the time, while swayed hy 
prejudice, withhold its approbation, but it never fails to 
crown the man of purpose and of courage. 

Mr. Laird had frequent occasion to brave unpopularity 
for what he considered his duty. Almost alone among his 
political associates he stood for what he believed to be jus- 
tice to his old comrade, Fitz John Porter. The clamor of 
the press of his State and section did not swerve him; the 
urgent remonstrances of friends 'Jiid not deter him for a 
moment from his purpose. His voice was heard and his 
vote was given for the redress of what he believed a griev- 
ous wrong to a commander and friend whom he honored 
and loved. 

To Mr. Laird friendship was a sacred word. He made a 
shrine for it in his heart and sacrificed at its altar. It was 
at once a mantle to adorn excellence and to conceal frailty. 
With his colleagues he was courteous and considerate. His 
word stood like an immovable rock. His promise once given 
was never qualified or recalled. He was always ready to 
assume resjDousibility for his actions, and scorned to hide 
behind an excuse born of expediency. Honest, honorable, 
and straightforward, he impressed his individuality ui)on 
others by the very force of these characteristics. 

Mr. Laird had his faults; so have we all; but no man 
was ever freer from charlatanism and hypocrisy, and no 
one ever possessed a mcjre th(.)r(.)ugh detestation for the 
Chadbands and Pecksniffs of society than this frank, sin- 
cere, able friend of ours. 

Mr. President, many hearts have been left much poorer 



Life and Cliarailcr of James [.aird. ~ 49 

hy tlic death ol' James LaIKD. He will nol Sdim hr l'i)rgot- 
tfii ill tlie home of his a(loi)tioii. 'I'liat luave, geiUTous. 
manly nature will long be cluu-ishcd in the memory of the 
multitude of friends iu Nebraska who iiouored and loved 
him before all others. 

The oliarni of his personality will not be lost. The i-ec- 
ord of his work will be for him an ever-enduring monument. 
He will need none other. Even unto the remotest genera- 
tion, in that beautiful country which he helped to transform 
from a wilderness, " where the arts of peace wep unknown," 
into a great Commonwealth, " surrounded by all that adorns 
and em])ellish('s civilized life," the memory of his great 
sei'vice shall be borne mdimmed by time to be enshrined 
evermore. 

The Vice President. The question is on agreeing to the 
resolutions offered Ity the Senator from Nebra.ska [Mr. 
Manderson]. 

The resolutions were agreed to unanimously; and (at 4 
o'clock and 38 minutes p. m.) the Senate adjourned until 
to-morrow, Friday, September 19, 1890, at 1 1 o'clock a. m. 
H. Mis. 2GC 4 



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